Stay on target

A clever new algorithm uses a person’s medical history to predict whether they will one day be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a way to identify who is on track to develop the debilitating disease.

Characterized by tremors, slowness of movement, stiffness, and impaired balance and coordination, Parkinson’s is a chronic and progressive disorder, the cause of which remains unknown.

While there is currently no cure, treatment options like medication and surgery help sufferers manage symptoms.

“One of the most interesting findings is that people who are going to develop Parkinson’s have medical histories that are notably different from those who don’t develop the disease,” according to Brad Racette, the Robert Allan Finke Professor of Neurology and senior author of this study.

“This suggests there are lifelong differences that may permit identification of those likely to develop the disease decades before onset,” he added.

Based on Medicare claims data of more than 200,000 beneficiaries nationwide, aged 66 to 90, researchers drafted a list of all diagnoses received and medical procedures undergone between 2004 to 2009.

Combine that data with factors like age, sex, race or ethnicity, and history of tobacco smoking, and the algorithm was able to correctly identify 73 percent of the unlucky folks who were diagnosed in 2009, and 83 percent of those who weren’t.

“Using this algorithm, electronic medical records could be scanned, and physicians could be alerted to the potential that their patients may need to be evaluated for Parkinson’s disease,” Racette said in a statement. “We want to be able to catch people as early as possible.”

Great, so you can live with the knowledge that you’ll eventually contract a crippling condition, and there’s nothing you can do about it?

Well, yes. But the algorithm is really there to help.

In an email to Geek, Racette details two “important” clinical uses:

“First, we found that a significant number of people who were diagnosed with PD in 2009 had falls or trauma—likely related to [the disease]—in the five years preceding their diagnosis,” he said. “This represents potentially treatable disease-related morbidity, since PD symptoms can be improved substantially with medications.”

Early recognition means early dosage, which can also help improve impairments in performing daily tasks.

“Second, the pharmaceutical industry is very interested in identifying people with PD sooner, since there is an increasing awareness that it may be critical to administer disease modifying medications sooner to prevent the disease from progressing,” Racette added.